Football World Reacts To Ohio State Athletic Director Drama

On Dec 22, 2022

Ohio State football athletic director Gene Smith at a press conference about college football coach Urban Meyer. — COLUMBUS, OH – DECEMBER 04: Ohio State University athletics director Gene Smith listens during a press conference at Ohio State University on December 4, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. At the press conference head coach Urban Meyer announced his retirement and offensive coordinator Ryan Day was announced as the next head coach. Meyer will continue to coach until after the Ohio State Buckeyes play in the Rose Bowl. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Gene Smith has been the athletic director of Ohio State since 2005, but right now, there are some fans who are wondering if he’s the right choice to lead them in this era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

Smith has been publicly asking for more NIL support from Ohio State fans, but there are questions as to why the school wasn’t more prepared for this new college sports landscape sooner.

Then, on Thursday, video surfaced of four-star Buckeyes quarterback signee Lincoln Kienholz saying that he chose OSU over Washington despite the fact that the Huskies could provide “better NIL” opportunities.

Kienholz’s comments have caused a bit of a stir, with former OSU linebacker Darron Lee sharing a video clip from The Dark Knight of the Joker saying “it’s not about money, it’s about sending a message.”

“Gene Smith,” Lee captioned the tweet.

“Ohio State has to take it’s NIL Collectives to the next level,” added a recruiting editing account. “In this day an age of college football it seems wrong but NIL is the number 1 priority for most kids let’s step it up an adapt.”

Additionally, some of the responses to the Lee tweet include OSU fans calling it “deplorable” that UW would have better NIL than the Buckeyes and openly questioning whether Smith is suited for his role anymore.

Smith recently solicited help from Ohio State fans in supporting NIL collectives and providing more opportunities for OSU athletes.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes,” Smith said. “Excellence within our programs and remarkable experiences for our student-athletes will always be the standard at Ohio State, while competing for championships, academic excellence and graduating, and preparing for life after sports are our goals.